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Everyone contributes in Lady Chucks win

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The Lady Chucks' volleyball team earned a three-game victory over DuBois Central Catholic, 25-14, 25-15, 25-20, Tuesday in Punxsutawney to push its record back to .500 at 4-4.

DCC kept the game very close in the first set, and Punxsy's lead was just three points at 16-13 before Cassie Cook went on a seven-point serving run that included kills by Sydney Weaver, Janie Depp-Hutchinson and Taylor Newcome and a solid block by Weaver.

After the streak, the Lady Chucks led 23-14, and a Weaver Kill and a good serve by Hutchinson after a Punxsy side out wrapped up the game for Punxsy.

"We had a slow start," Punxsy head coach Lisa Kephart said after the game. "DCC was a slower-paced team, which made it a little harder to get into. As we moved forward, though, we made some good plays throughout."

Cook had seven assists in the first game, and Newcome led the Lady Chucks with three kills. Brink added two kills.

Brink helped Punxsy jump out to a 9-3 lead in the second set with two aces and a kill.

Cook added a three-point streak to push the lead to 12-4, and Punxsy cruised to the 25-15 win.

Hutchinson led Punxsy with two kills in the second set, and Hutchinson and Cook added aces.

In the third and final set, DCC traded points with Punxsy for quite some time, but after a timeout with the score tied at 14, the Lady Chucks pulled away late behind kills by Newcome, Brink, Cook and Depp-Hutchinson.

The final score in the third game was 25-20 to seal the win for Punxsy.

Overall, Kephart was glad to see some of her other hitters step up and take advantage of their opportunities Tuesday night.

"Hitting-wise, we had some new people stand out that don't always get those hitting opportunities as often as Sydney has this season," she said. "Shayla Brink had a really nice hitting game; Janie also had a good hitting game; and Taylor added some nice hits for us."

Kephart was also pleased to see the team's cohesiveness working Tuesday, saying simply, "They played well together tonight."

The Lady Chucks' junior varsity team also picked up a two-game sweep over DCC Tuesday, 25-9, 25-9.

Punxsy head coach Megan Decker echoed Kephart's sentiments concerning the pace of the game for her squad's game, as well, saying it was "a very slow-paced game."

Despite the seemingly-slow start, Decker's team held DCC to nine points in the first game behind excellent serving.

The Lady Chucks notched nine aces in the first game with two apiece from Sydney Phillips, Alyssa Reitz and Emily Reitz.

Decker said she was glad to see her team pick up the pace late and finish strong.

Nicole DiPietro had two kills for Punxsy, and Decker noted Emilee States' aggressive play at the net as an asset to the win.

Game 2 started much stronger for the Lady Chucks, who kept the momentum rolling from Game 1 with what Decker called "great passing by Jensen Constantino and Emily Reitz."

States was the game's star server with seven-in-a-row — six of which were aces — to really kick Punxsy into high gear.

Ashley Reitz added three aces and DiPietro finished the game off with a kill.

Maddy Neal and Hailey Brady each had kills for the Lady Chucks in the second game, as well.

"Skill-wise, we played really well, and after we picked up the pace, I thought we did very well," Decker said.

Punxsy's next game is scheduled for Thursday when both varsity and JV travel to Johnsonburg for a 6 p.m. start.

"We don't know much about them," Kephart said. "But I think they'll be a decent team to face."